~ Jason S. Williams ~ SunsCentral.com ~ February 16, 2008 ~ 6:09 p.m. ~

So we hit the All-Star break at 37-16 this year. Some franchise's would consider this a great beginning but we all seem to think its been a down year. Is it...?

I am torn as are a lot of us Suns fans. Our record against the west is not very good, we arent blowing any teams away like we use to, the west is tighter than its ever been, all of the major players in the west have made trades to try and improve before the playoffs... but! We have the best record in the West which is a great accomplishment, we just made a trade ourselves for one of the best big men in the game (As long as he stays healthy), and we are leaning towards what everyone wanted all along... better defense, better rebounding, and better for the playoffs.

So what do I think now that half the season is over and done with? I feel fine... that's it, just fine. I would love to be more excited but we still don't know how the Shaq trade is going to pan out. I feel in the next couple weeks our season will be made or broken. It all revolves around Shaq and his health. If he is healthy we will make a run at the championship, if he isn't we will have a hard time getting out of the first round.

I am encouraged by how Diaw has played since the Shawn Marion trade. Does this mean he was one of the players who had issues with Marion? We will probably never know but it is a good site to see. We need him to step up now that he is in the starting lineup. Keep taking it to the whole Boris!

Good luck Suns on the second half of the season and bring us our championship we all want so much!

~ Jason S. Williams ~ SunsCentral.com ~ February 9, 2008 ~ 7:24 p.m. ~

So the "BIG" question is will it work?

There are a lot of well known basketball writer's saying this is a very bad deal for the Phoenix Suns and there are only a few that say it will help them out. I am leaning toward the later.

Remember the rumors about the chemistry problems in the locker room? Remember everyone saying "we will never win without a big man.", or "they will never win unless they play better defense and rebound better.", well now we have one of the most dominant big men in the game and they are all angry.

Shaq is a very emotional player... his career seemed to be on the down slope when he was dumped to the Heat and look what he did there. This year he hasn't done much... why? I am guessing because he isn't motivated. Not because he is hurt or on the down side of his career. Just plain old bored and unmotivated. I feel with this trade and joining Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire he will be just as big a force as the last few years. I don't think he will be back to MVP status of course but 80% of that will do just fine.

I am not worried about him fitting in the system like everyone else is. Like he mentioned in his press conference... someone has to get the rebound to start the fast break. Why not be him? Not only that, the Suns don't seem to run as much as they did the previous years either. I think the reason for that is the league is catching on and have learned ho to defend the Suns fast break better. And more teams have adopted the same strategy so they don't blow many teams out of the water anymore.

Shaq is wanting to play this Wednesday or Thursday. I don't think we will see his full potential for a little while due to the fact he needs to pick up the offense and see where he is going to fit in. But once this happens I feel he is going to shock the world. (Of course this all hinges on the fact that Grant Hill, Steve Nash, and Shaq all stay healthy... lets keep our fingers crossed shall we..?)

Look out NBA, the Suns are going to get over the hump this year!

~ Jason S. Williams ~ SunsCentral.com ~ December 17, 2007 ~ 9:00 p.m. ~

Down go the San Antonio Sterns! The Suns beat the Spurs in San Antonio for the first time since 2003 during the regular season. It was a great team effort The final: Suns 100 Spurs 95.

Boris Diaw was aggressive and it was a great thing to see. He took shots as soon as he got the ball with no hesitation, he drove to the hoop and made some nice shots, he drove to the hoop and made some nice passes, he also made some good plays on the boards. Where have you been Boris? Bring this intensity every night and our beloved Suns will be so much better.

Grant Hill was clutch all night long on offense and defense. He had 22 points, 7 boards, and 3 blocked shots. Grant was all over the place tonight... helping on weak side defense... dropping clutch late game jumpers and he was perfect from the free throw line.

Steve was mildly quiet tonight with 10 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds. Bowen does a good job at keeping Steve at bay. Even though Bowen is a jerk he is a really good defensive player.

This was a great win for the Suns. Some people will say they should have won this game since Parker was out but I think it is a big emotional lift beating them on their home court. Hopefully they take this win and run with the emotion.

Stay tuned as they take on Dallas on Texas swing.

- When the Suns don't score over a 100 they seem to lose. Who would have thought considering the system they play?

It is pretty simple really. If they don't score a lot they will have a hard time winning. We all know this... It isn't something new to everyone in the Valley. But why are they not scoring like they should? Why are the Suns losing to piss poor basketball teams when they are suppose to be one of the best teams in the league?

Everyone speculates but no one knows why. Is it because of chemistry issues? Is it because they aren't shooting as well from behind the arc so defenses can play a tighter defense? Maybe they should have picked up a pure 3-point shooter in the off-season. I have been wondering for a couple years why we don't have one. One of the main things this team does is shoot open 3-pointers and they don't really have a 3-point shooter? That's a little odd to me. Raja is a great player but he is known more for defense and heart than 3-point shooting. Who else is there? Marion scares me every time he takes a long bomb. Grant cant hit the three. Nash is one of the best in the league but we don't want him shooting a ton. And he is the one who creates to make all of the other guys wide open at the line anyway. Who is going to do that for him? No one... he has to get his own open shot.

I honestly think they are on the verge of needing to do something in regards to a trade. Find a 3 point shooter? Find someone who can play center a little so Amare can play the forward? Figure out who is creating the chemistry issues and take care of it!

Are they talking trades with other teams? I here all the local DJ's talking about this constantly but is it just for the talk show? Or have they been pursuing these options?

I keep hearing these idiots on the radio calling in saying to trade Diaw... c'mon people... he makes $9 mil. a year for the next 5 years. Who in the world would pick up that contract? No one, that's who! The only viable trade option is to trade Marion which almost sounds crazy for what he brings to the team. But who else is there? They wont trade Amare, they wont trade Nash, they certainly wont trade Hill... he is playing for almost nothing when it comes to money. So who else is there? They haven't played DJ enough for people to even know if he can play at this level so you cant trade him with others to get someone. Anyone have any answers?

All I know is that every game that goes by that they lose to a bad basketball team I become more and more worried that our chances are slipping away. I hope they figure this thing out sooner than later and I hope it is figured out without trading anyone. I think all the players here fit great and I don't want to see any of them go. But if the coaches know something we don't with chemistry problems... so be it... make the moves and fix these problems. I cant stand watching our beloved team lose to these poor basketball teams. It kills me inside!

- December 14, 2007 - The Suns had a lot of energy the other night as they eek out a win over the Utah Jazz 103-98.

Even though the shot wasn't falling at some points during the game they kept hustling and scraping and found a way to win the game at the end of the night. They were up by 9 with around 3 minutes to go and 2 quick buckets by Utah dropped the lead quickly and made the finish a lot more interesting.

Steve Nash got his front tooth chipped by Boozer which resulted in a comedian act going into the locker room at half time as he made fun of himself in an on court interview. He really seems like a stand up guy. I wish more of the NBA players were like him and we didn't have to deal with all of this "gun shots" crap all of the time. Maybe the Shawn Taylor incident will open some of these guys eyes and make them realize what they have and to stop wasting it. There are millions of people out there that would give anything to put themselves in their position and they seem to act like they have it so bad. C'mon, grow up already.

Back to the game... sorry about that!

Marion had a stellar night with 26 points, 15 boards along with 5 blocked shots. He tore it up against a good Utah Jazz team. The commentators mentioned they didn't understand why he would ever want to leave the Suns because it fits his style perfect. I think we all tend to agree on this.

The Suns take on New Orleans tomorrow night as they start a very difficult stretch of games going to New Orleans, San Antonio, and then Dallas. This will be a very good test for this team and we will see how they fare.

- December 10, 2007 - The Phoenix Suns lost their second straight game falling to the Miami Heat 117-113. This was the second loss to an Eastern opponent in a row.

The Miami Heat shot around 70% in the first quarter to pull ahead 40-29 and they never looked back. The Suns did come back and tie at one point in the third quarter but then went bone dry and didn't score for around 8 minutes or so. It doesn't matter who you play, when you shoot as poorly as the Suns have the past two games more than likely you are going to lose. Even if its the T-Wolves and Heat.

Steve Nash was 1 for 9 at one point in the fourth quarter before he dropped a couple of shots while they tried to mount a comeback. One of his many assists was unbelievable... He drove to the hoop... faked a pass to the corner... faked a layup.. then proceeded to no look pass to Hill over his shoulder between two defenders. Hill then drained the three which capped it off nicely. Steve ended the night with 14 assists and 11 points.

A bright spot in tonight's game was the play of Brian Skinner. Skinner had 13 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time. He has been a wonderful surprise this year. Especially when everyone was so angry they let Kurt go. To be honest I think Skinner is a better fit for the Suns. Moves better without the ball... tough inside... can run the court.

Suns had 19 points tonight, Bell, Marion, Stoudemire, and Grant Hill. It looks good across the board but their shooting percentage was only about 48%. This is a bit off because up until the last few minutes it was a lot worse... and the 3 point shooting was horrible until the final minutes of the game. Something like 3 for 25 at one point in the fourth.

Im not sure what is going on right now but they need to get it straightened out sooner than later. Not to long before they start playing Dallas and San Antonio and im sure if they continue to play this way its going to get ugly really quick.

- December 7, 2007 - Another 19 assists by Steve Nash as the Suns keep rolling on their road trip.

The Phoenix Suns had some trouble in the first half cracking the Washington defense but persistence paid off as they pulled away in the third quarter outscoring the Wizards 40-21. Now 16-4 the Suns have knocked off 5 straight wins beating Washington 122-107.

Amare tallied 27 points and Leandro posted 20 as the starters and the bench all chipped in on another solid win over another weak east opponent. One more eastern conference game before they come home from a five game road trip.

Stay tuned for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Miami Heat who they play at US Airways Center this coming Monday.

- December 4, 2007 - It was a barn burner tonight in Indiana as the Suns and the Pacers traded bucket for bucket until the final buzzer sounded.

Steve Nash had 6of the Suns last 8points and an assist on the last bucket by Amare as the Suns held off the Pacers 121-117.

Amare Stoudemire had a monster night with 42 points and 13 rebound. The Suns seemed a little flat and put the weight on Amares back... he stepped up and made the Pacers pay.

The Suns were down by 4 points with 1:15 left in the game and ended the game on an 8-0 run. They seem to have that burst at the end of the game that a lot of teams cant match. Its a really nice asset to have especially on these long road trips where they might need a quick push at the end of a game. It might get a little tough playing 4 games in 5 nights and if they play a down game they still might be able to knock out the win with one of these small runs at the end of the game.

All 5 Suns starters had 14 points or more and Nash ended the night with 17 assists. They only shot 18% from the 3-point line (3-16) which is an off night as we all know. Shooting this bad from three point range and still rolling out 121 points is impressive. It shows that if they have an off night shooting the 3-ball they can find other ways to win.

Stay tuned for tomorrow nights game as they take on Brian Calangelo and the Toronto Raptors in the third game of their five game road trip.

- November 30, 2007 - The Phoenix Suns just held off the Orlando Magic tonight 110-106.

With only seconds left in the game and a chance to go up by 4 points to make it a two possession game Steve Nash missed his first free throw of the season. Yes, you heard that right... This season! It came at a crucial time as the Magic came right down the court and got within 2 points.

Nash then got a chance to redeem himself moments later and put the Suns up by 4 for good.

Dwight Howard tallied 30 points and 23 rebounds tonight in a battle with Amare Stoudemire. Amare ended with night with 19 points and 10 rebounds himself and only had 3 fouls! Great job big man. We needed your defense in there and you found a way to stay out of foul trouble.

Nash had 15 points and 14 assists in a very solid game with only turning the ball over 3 times. They had to keep their turn over total down and they did a good job of that tonight.

Orlando picked up only its 4th loss of the season with 14 wins. They seem to be the new king of the East other than Boston. I tend to think Boston will fade a little later in the year because of the lack of depth but we will have to wait and see.

Overall the Suns played a solid game and came away with the much needed win after losing to Houston and Golden State back-to-back.

- November 23, 2007 - The Phoenix Suns won their 8th in a row tonight taking the Clippers 113-94. The 20 point difference is a little deceiving since the Clippers were only down 8 with two minutes remaining and played the Suns close the entire game, but the Suns turned on the afterburners and raked off 11 straight points to end the game.

Amare played a great game tonight even though he ended up in foul trouble again. He had 25 points in just 22 minutes of playing time. If he can learn to stay out of foul trouble (this is a big if) he can be one of the most dominating players in the game. But if your only on the floor for 22 minutes it makes it real easy for other teams not to worry about him.

D'Antoni went 9 players deep again tonight playing Skinner, Banks, Diaw, and Leandro off the bench. I can accept 9 players getting in the game coach... but what happens if one or two of those guys goes down with injuries. Then we are right back to our 7 or 8 players which was one of of major problems last year. DEPTH.

I will continue to push for him to play the two rookies as much as possible. They are both very talented and are not going to get any better sitting on the bench. Play them in spot minutes coach... 2 minutes here... 3 minutes there... Get them in the game on a nightly basis so when you ask them to get it done for you they don't look like a deer in headlights!

Overall tonight's win was a good one. It brings the win streak total to 8 and puts them at 11-2 on the season tying their best start to a season in franchise history. Not bad considering everyone was and is still talking about how poorly they had been playing. Everyone seems to be adapting to one another and playing pretty decent basketball.

- November 21, 2007 - Suns drop 47 points on the Kings in the first quarter in tonight Thanksgiving Eve game.

Raja sat out tonight's game again tonight with his sprained ankle. I strongly agree with him sitting out. As I mentioned early in my blog it is hard to overcome a high ankle sprain and he should sit as long as he needs to. Its a good opportunity to have some of the bench players get in the game anyway.

Like tonight for instance, Alando Tucker and DJ Strawberry finally got some good minute as they were put in the game at the end of the third to the beginning of the fourth quarter. Alando wasted little time in dropping a three pointer within the first few minutes of the fourth quarter.

18 points and 15 assists isnt to shabby for three quarters worth of work. Steve shot 7-10 tonight and looked as if he could do no wrong. When he felt like scoring he did so... when he felt he needed to get someone involved he ran the offense smoothy and got them the ball where they needed it. Typical game for the TRUE MVP.

Great night of basketball and we can only wish for many more like it. The final score tonight was 127-111. Enjoy your Thanksgiving Suns fans and please be safe!

- November 17, 2007 - The Suns had 25 turnovers tonight and still pull off a 115-105 win over the Houston Rockets.

Steve Nash led the way with 15 assists and 19 point's getting everyone involved as usual. Multiple Suns scored in double figures again tonight while they run Yao into the floor. Yao has never been able to play well against the Suns due to the high pace play. He ended the night shooting only 4-17.

Amare once again found himself in foul trouble towards the end of the game but kept his cool and made it to the end. Again, some questionable calls but we all know he needs to keep his fouls down. Let some of these guys get the easy baskets big dog... we have the offense to get it back... this way you keep out of foul trouble.

Raja sat out again tonight due to the high ankle sprain. As I mentioned in my last article I was surprise he came back so quickly to begin with. I think he needs to sit out for a while and make sure that ankle gets healed all the way.

The Suns scored 37 points in the first quarter and only 21 in the final frame. As soon as they seemed a little down and the Rockets started making their way back in the fourth Amare and Steve both buckled down and made some very important buckets.

Stay tuned as the Suns play the Kings two games in a row. Tuesday night at home and then Wednesday night in California. Good game guys... way to show the league what we have to offer.

- November 17, 2007 - Up-close and personal for the Suns vs. Bulls game on Thursday night. A few friends of mine and myself enjoyed the game the other night from front row seats given to us from one of our clients. If you ever have the chance to sit this close I would highly recommend it.

The overall flow of the game is difficult to feel when you are that close to all of the action because you cant see the plays develop or some of the action. But the feeling you get when you are standing 5' from these professional athletes while they are performing their art is indescribable. Its almost as if it was an out of body experience... just floating around watching these guys shoot, dunk, pass and rebound so closely. I hope to do it again sometime but more than likely it wont be this close. These season tickets cost approx. $95k per year... thats some major cash!

The outcome of the game was expected with the Suns coming up on the winning end but the Bulls gave them a run for their money. Up until a few minutes left in the fourth quarter the game was still tied. Marion decided to take over and that was the end of that.

Steve Nash and Grant Hill looked to be on the same page connecting on a couple of difficult passes that you might not have seen before the season. Hill seems to be settling in nicely. He didnt take as many three's and he took it to the whole a bunch of times which is what he does best. He is so agile for his size it makes it almost impossible to guard him near the free-throw line. If you drop off him he will drain the jumper and if you come up on him he will drive past you and ended it with a soft little finger roll.

Barbosa lit it up again and this comes as no surprise. He has settled down as well after the beginning of the season. His shooting % from three point land is ridiculous over the last few games.

It was nice to see Raja back so quickly after the ankle sprain. Those some times tend to linger but he didnt appear to have any side affects. Raja was tight on the defensive end flying all over the place.

All in all it was an amazing night and I will never forget it. I hope everyone has a chance to do the same thing someday... for now on though I will probably be 20 rows up enjoying our championship run.

PS: The fans picked it up a notch for you tonight D'Antoni... They were rockin' as well!

- November 14, 2007 - That was a game the Suns should have won and did win convincingly. From opening tip to the final buzzer they took it to the Knicks last night and came away with the 113-102 win. With all the turmoil in the Knicks organization this should come as no surprise. Starbury didn't even show up because his coach wanted to bench him. Mature to say the least?

What was that? Did he put Piatkowski and Skinner (who had 7 boards in just 18 minutes of play) in the game in the first half? Way to go coach! Again, im not sure why he wont play the rookies but i guess he knows what he is doing. Right...?

Amare led the way last night with 26 points as the Suns had 4 out of 5 starters score 21 points or more. The only one who didn't was Steve Nash who ended the night with 12 assists and 5 points.

D'Antoni ended the night questioning the enthusiasm of the team AND the crowd! He basically said it was like a morgue. This has been an issue for years and comes as no surprise but what is a surprise is the coach saying something about it. A lot of Suns fans in the Valley tend to think most of the real fans sit at home and go to the bar and watch the game because it is expensive to go multiple time a year. Not only that, when one does go to the game all these yuppies cry for everyone to sit down when you stand up and cheer. It really is pathetic. I myself will be at the game tomorrow night sitting front row and I will be cheering. If someone tells me to sit down I might take issue with that. I will keep everyone informed on how this works out!

Overall the Suns played a decent game. They are 6-2 on the season and the fans still call into the radio stations concerned about their play. This is understandable if you ask me because the teams they have played are not very good and the Suns have not looked very good. Lets hope they continue to gel and become the team we all expect them to be this year... a title contender!

- November 10, 2007 - Leandro Barbosa dropped a career high 39 points on the Magic tonight as he was placed into the starting lineup for Raja Bell. The Phoenix Suns took it to the Magic from opening tip coming away with the 106-96 win to improve to 5-2 overall.

Raja Bell sat out tonight's game with a high ankle sprain and Leandro took little time to show what he has. Leandro shot 57% from the field combined and a crazy 61% from 3-point range. He also had 7 rebounds and 6 assists. It was a very nice thing to see... Nash didn't have to carry the load tonight as he has been all year long.

Amare ended up in foul trouble again ending the night with 5 fouls and almost a 6th that was handed out to Grant Hill instead. There has been a couple odd calls on Amare but for the most part its just Amare being Amare. He does look good moving around which is the most important thing coming off this minor knee scope.

Nash finished the night with 19 points and 11 assists. With typical Steve Nash fashion when the Magic hit a couple three's in the fourth quarter to come within 15 points Nash looks up... notices the score... and takes it to the Magic for a couple quick buckets.

I am really starting to get irritated with the lack of playing time our rookies are getting. DJ Strawberry and Alando Tucker played decent minutes in pre-season and played well. How does D'Antoni expect these guys (who have an unbelievable amount of talent and could possibly help the Suns THIS YEAR.) to get any better sitting on the bench when you have a 20 point lead with 3 minutes to play? Put them in the darn game. I predict the Phoenix Suns Nation will be more and more agitated as the year goes on and they sit on the bench for the entire game. I am irritated right now. DJ Strawberry is a pimp of a defender and could be put in just to slow down some of the larger guards of the NBA. Please coach, get them some playing time soon... you need depth in the NBA... You would think you would know that by now.

I will end that little rant with this. The Suns looked really good tonight but it was against a very young and poor playing Orlando Magic. Keep it rolling Suns... Looking good!

- November 9, 2007 - Marion with 24 boards tonight led the poor shooting Suns to victory over the Heat 106-101. The Suns shot well below the 50% mark again tonight but made up for it by launching 33 and making 15 three point buckets.

Shawn Marion played an enormous game reeling in 24 boards against Shaq and Alanzo Mourning. This is amazing with his size and it just goes to show how valuable he is to this small Suns lineup. Without Marion, the Suns would have taken a beating tonight.

Amare got booted in tonight's game for racking up two technical fouls... One on a foul where Shaq elbowed him in the face and he was called for the foul. He was simply discussing the foul with the ref and was given his second T. This is horse crap... when you make all-star team after all-star team you deserve the right to complain a little and question some calls. Duncan does his famous stare every time a foul is called on him and he never gets a T. The refs need to pull their heads out from underneath the covers and realize they aren't the show.

Steve Nash dropped in 30 points and had 8 assists. He also scored 11 of the Suns final 13 points and outscored the Heat 11-0 himself at the tail end of the 4th quarter. Steve has been having to take more of a shooters role this year so far due to the poor shooting by everyone else.

At one point tonight I thought they were going to lose to the Lakers, Atlanta, and a Dwayne Wade-less Miami Heat team that is 0-5. Thank goodness they pulled this one out so we don't have to start all the questions. But on the other hand... what is going on guys? I hope it is the slow start of norm because if its not our small team is in for a beating this year. They cant continue to shoot 44% and expect to win games. Its just not going to happen.

All in all it was a decent game. Everyone pitched in a little here and there but Steve and Shawn took control when the game got tough and carried the load on their shoulders resulting in a Suns win which brings their record to 4-2.

- November 7, 2007 - Hawks hold off Suns Paul Coro The Arizona Republic Nov. 7, 2007 07:24 PM ATLANTA - The Suns could not maintain the momentum of a blowout in Charlotte, playing behind for all of the final three quarters of a 105-96 loss Wednesday at Atlanta. The Hawks did not even need ex-Suns guard Joe Johnson's scoring to maintain control of Phoenix, now 3-2.

Atlanta hurt Phoenix badly with second-chance points early and got a balanced scoring attack from Marvin Williams (20 points, 12 rebounds), Josh Smith (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Josh Childress (19 points, nine rebounds). Phoenix was playing without Amaré Stoudemire for a third consecutive game because of his sore right knee. Boris Diaw, an ex-Hawk, started in his place but only had seven points, four rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes.

The Suns looked like their offense might not ever stop rolling from Tuesday's win in Charlotte. They hit six consecutive shots at one point in the first quarter to take an 18-13 lead off of back-to-back Shawn Marion dunks. But the offense struggled from there and the defense was not like the heralded recent efforts. Atlanta's young, athletic lineups gave Phoenix fits on the boards, scoring 12 of the Hawks' first 27 points on second chances to take a lead the Hawks never relinquished despite Phoenix closing the gap to one twice in the third quarter.

The Suns had their best game of the young season from the three-point line but it was negated by how ineffective Phoenix was with the shorter stuff. The Suns trailed 55-47 at halftime despite hitting eight of 18 three-point tries. Inside the arc, Phoenix only managed to make eight of 25 shots with seven of the misses coming on drives to the rim or alley-oop attempts.

Once again, Steve Nash was left with the scoring burden and he turned aggressive, scoring 34 points with 13 coming in the third to keep Phoenix close. But Atlanta, going strong despite Joe Johnson's awful shooting night, widened the gap to start the fourth quarter.

Phoenix trailed 90-81 when Grant Hill returned for a small ball lineup with Nash, Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell and Shawn Marion. It worked to get Phoenix within three but Marvin Williams kept hitting the mid-range jumpers that the Suns let him take all game long. Williams hit consecutive jumpers to put Atlanta ahead 94-89 with 3:31 to go. The Hawks stretched it to 98-89 when Johnson drew a Marion foul and then, with Marion sitting, Josh Smith got a follow with a foul to make it 99-89 with 1:47 to go. Marion returned to score on the next two trips off Nash feeds but Phoenix ran out of time.

- November 6, 2007 - Thats what Im talking about! Those are the Suns we know... Running and gunning... But wait! Was that tough defense I saw? It sure was... They played tough team defense tonight and it was amazing to see. And what comes from tough defense? Turnovers, which turn into fast break points. Good concept if you ask me. They finished off the bobcats 115-83. This was over before it even started.

This all being done without their star center Amare Stoudemire who was sidelined with knee soreness again tonight. After what I saw tonight there is no need to rush him back. Take your time big STAT and get that knee perfect.

Sean Marks was 5-7 for 13 points in only 16 minute of game time. Nice job Sean, he played well tonight. I didn't see much wrong with what he did. We have to take this all with a grain of salt of course. After all it was against the Bobcats.

DJ Strawberry only got 6 minutes tonight and had 2 quick steals in that short amount of time. I think D'Antoni needs to get Alando and DJ some more playing time soon. I saw really good things from these guys this summer and in pre-season. Especially DJ, he was a steal in the second round. He is tall, athletic, scrapy, plays great D, can shoot, can take it to the whole. Everything the Suns need. Great pickup. NOW GET THEM SOME MINUTES COACH!

Diaw lead the team with 11 assists. It is nice to see him be more aggressive again this year after a non existent 06-07 season. It looks like he will be ready for this season. It is a little odd that he always tends to play better when Amare is either hurt or not playing. Its almost as he doesn't feel comfortable when they are both on the court.

Barbosa, Bell, and Marion all lead the team with 16 points and everyone who was dressed got points except for DJ Strawberry but as I mentioned earlier he had 2 steals in a very short time frame.

Over all they looked really good tonight. Nash was typical Nash and the Suns were actually +31 in the point differential when he was on the court. That shows a lot. He is simply the man.

- November 4, 2007 - Well they put up only 38 in the first half and Amare didn't play because of swelling in his knee, so the outcome didn't look good going into the locker room.

The night Jerry Colangelo was inducted into the "Ring Of Honor" the Suns continued their lackluster performance making 2 - 3 point buckets in the first half. If it wasn't for Leandro coming off the bench putting in a quick 6 or so points at the end of the second quarter they wouldn't even have hit that 38 point mark.

D'Antoni must have said something in the locker room during Jerry's induction into the ring because the Suns came out running and gunning. They put up a little more than 30 points in the third quarter and kept rolling into the fourth.

The Suns pulled out the win 103-92 to go to 2-1 on the season.

Is anyone else getting a little worried about Amare's continuing knee troubles? I know he is young and his body can recover from these things quickly but the knee issues scare me a little bit. I hope he is all right because the Suns need him badly this year.

One other quick note... Brian Skinner is looking to be a good pick up for the Suns... grabbing a good amount of boards and racking up the blocked shots.

- November 3, 2007 - Well do I have to say what we are all thinking? Or can I just let it pass? No I have to say it? THE LAKERS? Did we have to start the season off with a terrible loss to the freaking Lakers? It was a very ugly sight last night and I almost couldn't watch the whole game. I was tempted to shut it off it was so bad. Freakin' fisher looked like an all-star last night! Every Laker played out of their head and the Suns seemed to be average NBA players at best. We all know they arnt anywhere near that. Much better!

Maybe it was the travel... Maybe it was the 2 games in 2 nights a couple states away from each other. I think its just the same old crap. The past 2 seasons they have had rough starts and everything ended up fine. I mean, I don't consider fine to be loosing to the damn Spurs in the West finals again but I mean fine as in how the regular season went. I personally think they will be just great once they play a few games together. They added Grant Hill this year to the starting rotation, Amare hasn't played the last 2 weeks, Raja is limping around, Leandro has bad ribs, Diaw is limping around as well. Its not the ideal way to start a season... banged up already.

I'm very interested in seeing how they come out in this next game. I have a feeling they will have a little more pep in their step if you know what I mean. Take it to the hoop a little bit why don't we? Grant Hill took 7 - 3 point shots or somewhere around there? He didn't take but 9 all of last year. There is a reason for this. Its an ugly set shot... He has a beautiful mid range jump shot... but that 3 point shot looks baaadddd.... Not that Im a good shooter myself but ive watched enough basketball to see he doesn't look comfortable and it makes me uncomfortable!

Stay tuned for tomorrow nights game as they look to rebound after this horrible loss to... and ill say it again THE LAKERS!!!!!!!!! One quick final note. I hate Laker fans and maybe the Lakers too...?

- October 23, 2007 - The Phoenix Suns had their open practice tonight and the admission was at no cost to the fans. All that was asked was to bring some high efficiency light bulbs. I attended tonight's practice and it was a wonderful site. In my approximation there was about 5,000 people in attendance which was great for a Tuesday night practice.

The surprising event of the night was that STAT played the portion of the practice that we were able to see. He looked great during this stretch which is amazing considering he had minor knee surgery 2 weeks a go. There were no signs of any ailment tonight... I recall 3 separate dunks in a very short period of time. The scrimmage portion of the practice is what we were able to watch. Im sure they had a normal practice before this since they all came in covered in sweat.

It was also very exciting to see Grant Hill in the Phoenix Suns uniform. He had a couple nice buckets including a 3 pointer which is encouraging since his 3 point shooting percentage over the past years isn't the best. This will not be his specialty of course but it is nice to know that Nash can kick it out to him for a 3 if need be.

Sean Marks and Eric Piatkowski had a decent evening hitting from down town and on some quick breaks to the hoop. When D'Antoni mentioned that Marks would be getting more playing time this year I think everyone kind of brushed that off like it was just something he had to say when asked about the lack of depth on this team. But over the preseason he has done very well in all aspects of the game. So maybe he was serious about more playing time? We all know Mike doesn't go very deep into his bench even during the regular season. We shall see as the season starts in about a week and a half.

All in all every one of the starters looked great and its getting really exciting to see them getting ramped up for the season. One quick injury note: Leandro Barbosa was sidelined with sore ribs from an earlier incident.

This will be a new installment of SunsCentral.com in which a Suns fan of many years will give us his take and insight on Suns rumors, news, and information. It will soon have its own section called "Petro's Propaganda."

- October 2, 2007 - Well it’s the season we all have been waiting for. I am not talking about, no more 100 degree weather or the beginning of the NFL season or the MLB playoffs. It’s go time with the run and gun Phoenix Suns! This is my favorite time of year. The summer was filled with another questionable draft night (Atlanta getting the #3 pick), and trades of James Jones and Kurt Thomas. The season was also filled with some exciting news with the pick up of Grant Hill and the fact that even though we did not draft at number 24, we did draft two players which will make the roster in Tucker and Strawberry. But all this is nothing to what has developed over the past week with Shawn Marion and now Amare Stoudemire’s knee scope.

Amare should be fine and is expected to be out for 3 to 4 weeks. This really shouldn’t worry anybody too much. This will be on the knee that did not have the micro fracture surgery. The knee in question is the right knee and has been scoped out before without any complications. I don’t see any short comings with this procedure.

Shawn Marion on the other hand could be a blow more devastating than Amare’s micro fracture surgery. I make this comparison because Marion has made it officially known that he has requested a trade from the Suns. For the first time since he was signed to a max offer, he has said that the trade rumors were enough and it was time to break up the bad marriage. Of course this comes on the heels of Steve Kerr not wanting to talk contract extension. Marion reportedly wants 3 years and 60 million. Ouch. Talk about a tight team getting tighter. The question will be can Marion play this season without disrupting the chemistry of the Team? Will he truly be a professional and not let this get in the way of the ultimate goal of winning a championship? Will the Suns be forced into a trade in the middle of the season which could ruin any hope of a championship especially because MarionR17;s return will not equal his value to the Suns? I say now the addition of Grant Hill becomes more important than any of the other off season moves. Grant Hill along with Steve Nash should be able to mend MarionR17;s hard feelings for the season until the business side comes into play next off season. Don’t expect Marion to opt out though. It is widely believed that no team thinks he is worth more than 10-15 million a year. They site his age, time in the NBA, the fact that his talent is based off his athleticism, may equal a decline in the near future. I don’t really buy that and in my opinion, you never know who the next Rashard Lewis may be. I also do not see Marion opting out and giving up over 17 million either.

Another question facing the Sun’s will be their trade of Kurt Thomas. I am a huge Kurt Thomas fan but I do not feel he is worth the money that they were paying him. People always site that he was our low post presence against Tim Duncan. Well here is a news flash for you all. Tim Duncan had his best statistical performances against the Suns out of every other team in the playoffs. So even if Kurt was the best, he was not nearly good enough to do the one thing he was brought in to do which was to stop, or slow, Tim Duncan. I think if Kurt is to be missed anywhere it will be on the pick and pop from 16 feet. What it will come down to for the Suns to win this year will be solely on the maturity of Amare Stoudemire. If Amare can mentally set himself right, he has all the tools to go one on one with Duncan both on the offense and defense. I am sure we all remember that block on Tim Duncan back in the 04-05 playoffs to seal the win. He was set to make huge strides in the off season and said his one goal was to become better defensively. Well we all know how the next year went for Amare. We really can not judge him too hard on last seasons performance on defense. It is unfair because of the mental challenges he had to over come during the season. He was basically starting all over again, and with new teammates. This is the year he can mature beyond anything that we have seen before. Of course that is if he is healthy.

So this is the beginning of another journey for the Suns and a new journey for myself. Expect another stellar year form the boys in purple and orange. They will win 55+ games again and surely be a force in the playoffs. The good thing is that, as of right now, this core is intact and with another year of experience and maturity, this team will challenge once again for a NBA championship.

Go Sun’s!

- July 27, 2007 - Suns' Bell out 4-6 weeks after knee surgery July 27, 2007 CBS SportsLine.com wire reports PHOENIX -- Suns guard Raja Bell had surgery on his right knee and will sidelined four to six weeks. The arthroscopic surgery was performed Thursday. Team physician Dr. Tom Carter said Bell had mild wear and tear of his kneecap. The doctor said Bell's play should not be limited after the four-to-six-week period. Bell averaged 14.7 points and 2.5 assists this season. AP NEWS The Associated Press News Service

- PHOENIX, July 24 (AP) -- The Phoenix Suns signed center Sean Marks to a one-year contract on Tuesday, insisting that unlike last season he will get a chance to play. The 6-foot-10 veteran of eight NBA years was with the Suns all last season but played in only three games. He scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in 17 minutes. New general manager Steve Kerr believes Marks is a better player than most people realize and that the Suns expect to use him more in the coming season. Some of that will be by necessity, since Phoenix sent Kurt Thomas to Seattle in a salary-dumping move. Marks has averaged 3.1 points and 2 rebounds in 108 career NBA games with Toronto, Miami, Seattle, San Antonio and Phoenix.

- July 23, 2007 - Another take on some of the Suns off season moves. By: Michael Petrovich. (Fan and Future Columnist of SunsCentral.com)

You are right; the move was a financial move for moves later on down the line. How do we know this? If a team is under the cap they can basically take any player that has a salary that doesn’t put them over the cap and give nothing in return. Essentially the Suns could have said we don’t want anything back. Why would they take the trade exception if they didn’t plan on using it? You have to be very careful when you talk about the financial aspects of the organization. Look, there is no other contender in the league with 3 max players. What cripples the Suns is the fact that they gave a max deal to a guy who is not a max player in Matrix. It is his salary that hinders the Suns lack of bench and the trading away of picks. Granted I am a little uneasy about that 2010 pick but as for the near future, the Suns have 6 picks in the next 2 years. I don’t think you have to hit the panic button. In reality, in Mikes system, which draft picks, would have made a difference? We have a decent PG in Banks but can’t get it done in this system. So to guess that any rookie would have had a better impact than him is a guess at best. Let us also remember that having 3 max players’ eats up minutes. If we get rid of Marion, we could solidify the bench and spread the minute around. Now for your article on KT. KT is overrated. People have this love affair with KT and I don’t get it. First off the guy has missed a lot of games the 2 years he was with the Suns including the playoffs in the first year. What if by some chance we matched up with Spurs in the first round. Well first that would mean the Spurs suck; secondly it would mean we spent 8 mil for nothing. To be honest, I kind of feel like it was for nothing in last 2 years playoffs. Actually he played ok, but not for 16 mil. How quickly we forget how good Amare did when he played the Spurs 3 years ago, before the injury. He not only played incredible offense while guarding Duncan he did ok on D. Remember the game saving block on Duncan? Look, people looked at Amare last year and forgot one thing. They forgot that the young man missed a whole season. When he came back, he was fighting fatigue, both mentally and physically still made the all NBA 1st team and all anyone could say is that he is immature or not good on D. He did not play up to his mental capacity that he is capable of and the way he was starting to develop before the injury. Remember 2 years ago when we didn’t have KT or Amare? How did the Suns make it to the conference finals again? It was with speed and shooting. The Suns want another big but not one that can’t play their up tempo style. You can crack the team saying that maybe their style won’t work but don’t crack on the team for financial reasons. What do the Suns have to show for the past 2 seasons with KT? Nothing! My insiders are telling me that the team feels that they can win with the core of 3 and they will hunt for that mid season bargain that some team wants to get rid of. If they don’t use it this season, they will use it in free agency next summer because they have 1 year to use it from the time they officially obtain it. The team is still over the cap when they sign Strawberry and another throw in like George. The one thing I for see this owner doing is making the team a financial success while the team enjoys its own success. The bad contracts made are not that of Boris Diaw, or Marcus Banks. It is Shawn Marion and Brian Colangelo’s miss management of the future. He was one to always panic. Please see Tom Gugliotta. People for the last 10 years have been saying that Nash is on his last legs but he is one of the most fit athletes in all of sports. He can play until he is 40 if he chooses. He has said that as long as he has a fire in the belly, he will be ready to play. At least 4 more years. Look, Sarver has paid and paid for players. The suns have signed Boris and Barbosa when everyone said he wouldn’t. He signed Nash when everyone said he has 2 seasons left. He signed M Banks. He didn’t sign Joe Johnson, who didn’t want to be here. He didn’t sign T Thomas when he wanted to be where ever the money was. How did he do last season? He didn’t sign Hunter. Where is he? If the Hawks historically suck next year, that JJ trade will favor the Suns! I am done now.

- July 20, 2007 - I am beginning to get a little worried about this coming season. In an interview today Steve Kerr tried to justify trading Kurt Thomas and two first round draft picks in saying it allowed him to keep the core of the team together. This is a load of garbage. They didn't have to get rid of anyone. Yes they would have had to pay the luxury tax on Kurts $8 mil. but his contract was up at the end of the year and will not count against the cap next year. In my opinion they needed to suck it up and pay the luxury tax of $8 mil.. They are on the verge of an NBA Championship and they keep saying as such and that they were so close last year. Well without Kurt Thomas against the San Antonio Spurs Amare wouldn't have been nearly as effective. He would have picked up a lot more fouls a lot quicker and he would have had to put a lot more effort into the defensive end guarding Duncan and wouldn't have been nearly as effective on the offensive end. Again, this is my opinion, but how do you get closer to an NBA Championship when you just traded away your only decent big man that backs up Amare.

This was strictly a financial decision and it made this team worse. If you ask anyone if the Suns are better today than they were yesterday I guarantee you most everyone will say absolutely not. I understand it isn't my money and its easy to spend money that assent mine but when it comes to an NBA Championship anything goes! Its not like you get these chances every year. Steve Nash is the engine that makes this team run and when he is gone in a couple years this whole system has to change. No one can run this offense anywhere near as good as he is. When Steve Kerr keeps insisting this was done to keep the core of the team together its basically him hiding behind the fact that his boss is making him cut salary. Its not like they wouldn't have let you play the season if you didn't get rid of Kurt Thomas. And you would have HAD to trade Amare or Marion... It doesn't work that way in the NBA. You can pay all these guys you just have to match the amount over the cap amount dollar for dollar. Im sorry but I think I would pay an additional $16 mil. for the ring. I know that Kurt doesn't guarantee the ring but it sure does help. I am disgusted with this trade. What really puts it over the top is the two first round draft picks on top of Kurt. They basically paid Seattle to take Kurt... In other words paid Seattle to possibly take away our ring. And can we please start trading some of our picks out of the division? In the next three to five years all these picks we traded away are going to be kicking our butts in divisional games.

I hope they find some way to get a decent back up for Amare for the games he needs the defensive help. Not one of these third tear guys that is going to sit the bench all year. You know Mike isn't going to play some guy in the playoffs who sat the bench all year long. He is way to stubborn for that. Our only hope is that Hill, Amare, and Nash (Who all have had injury issues in the last 2 years) stay healthy and Diaw reverts back to his "Most Improved Player" caliber.

- July 15, 2007 - I had a chance to see D.J. Strawberry and Alando Tucker play in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League this weekend and I was highly impressed, but you would think I would be writing this article to letting everyone know how impressive Alando Tucker looked... but I'm not, DJ Strawberry stole the show. He looks like he is playing with a large chip on his shoulder. DJ took it to the whole many times looking very comfortable driving against 2 to 3 defenders at a time... some being power forwards and centers. He had a nice touch from the outside and he had no problem taking the contact and getting the the line for some foul shots. I think he is going to make the roster with no problem what so ever. The Suns need another guy who can create their own shots off the dribble. I know we have Hill now but this guy was very impressive with the ball in his hand. He also looked tight on defense... he locked up the other teams point guard's and played great help defense. DJ ended the game with 27 points and 8 assists. He shot 10-18 from the field, 1-1 from 3 point range and 6-7 from the free throw line. Very good stat line.

Alando on the other hand looked very passive and didn't seem to get into the flow of things. He did break free on a couple fast breaks but they resulted in a couple of free throws. DJ has a great opportunities to give the lob pass for Alando to dunk and he was way off the mark. Other than that he seemed to be a little off last night. He ended the night with 18 quiet points. Overall he has been the most consistent but unfortunately the night I was there he seemed very hesitant.

One other player deserving of some note is Otis George, he only played 28 minutes and ripped down 10 boards.

- July 11, 2007 - Doug Haller The Arizona Republic Jul. 11, 2007 11:35 AM Free agent forward Grant Hill officially signed with the Suns today. The team introduced him to Valley media at an 11:30 a.m. news conference at US Airways Center. Hill, who has averaged 20 points in 12 seasons, announced last week his intentions to join the Suns. According to his agent, 15 teams showed interest, including Detroit, San Antonio and Orlando. "I'm very excited," Hill said. "I've watched the team and the organization from afar. When free agency started, this team was No. 1 on my list." During the news conference it was announced that former Suns center Alvan Adams, whose No. 33 is in the Suns' ring of honor, told the team he would like Hill to wear it with the Suns. Hill said he was enticed by Suns coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo style of play. "I love his style of play and love his approach to the game," Hill said. Hill will be paid $1.83 million for the coming season with a $1.97 million player option for 2008-09.

- Suns hope Hill doesn’t turn tail like Thomas - (Jerry Brown, Tribune) - Last summer, the prevailing theory was Tim Thomas had made enough money and loved his short stint in Phoenix so much that he would return to the Suns — trading a smaller salary for a legitimate chance at a championship ring. With more than $100 million in the bank, Thomas himself said he’d be crazy not to return to Arizona. Then the Los Angeles Clippers offered Thomas a four-year, $24 million deal. Apparently crazy from the heat, he left skid marks on Interstate 10, heading west. The Suns were left empty-handed, setting what became a fruitless free agency period into motion. A year later, the Suns are in even more constricted financial straits — but will cross their fingers and roll the dice with almost the same scenario on Sunday. No, all fantasy trades involving Kevin Garnett are now exhausted. He’s not coming. This time, the target is Grant Hill. Hill, who turns 35 in October, is coming off a seven-year, $93 million contract with Orlando but has never been on a team that has advanced past the first round of the playoffs in his 13-year NBA career. The Suns will try to sell Hill on the lovely weather, team chemistry, relaxed practices and friendly atmosphere, but will have only a veteran’s minimum contract to put on the table ($1.2 million, $770,610 which would count against the cap). Other teams can offer a lot more money (Toronto, Orlando) while others can offer more than the Suns and offer a similar or better chance at success (Detroit, San Antonio). Hill has let Phoenix know for years he was interested in playing here. Sources confirm he was in the Valley last weekend, although both sides swear there was no contact between player and team. When asked if he felt the Suns or the Spurs were a better fit, Hill told ESPN radio he’d choose the Suns. But Thomas said all the right things — and in the end, took the money and ran. Hill is not only Phoenix’s best option in free agency, he is the myopic target: • The Suns had an interest in veteran big man P.J. Brown (38), but were unable to move Kurt Thomas’ $8.1 million salary during the draft. Brown is a shot-blocker and has expressed interest in trading a big salary (he made $8.5 million last year) to play for a winner. But adding another big man is out if Thomas is staying. • Phoenix might like to beef up the guard position — they will kick the tires on Orlando reserve Travis Diener ($664,000) and keep track of the comeback attempt of veteran shooter Allan Houston, who hasn’t played in two years due to knee problems. Sean Marks might be invited back for another season. But that’s about it. Why? Take a look at the bottom line. Assuming finalization of Thursday’s James Jones trade with Portland — which will trim $2.9 million — the Suns sit with a payroll at just less than $77 million — about $8 million over the luxury tax threshold of $69 million. Only the New York Knicks ($88.3 million) and Dallas Mavericks ($79.3 million) have higher payrolls in the NBA, and only the Knicks currently stand to pay more in luxury taxes (because Dallas pays an amnesty salary in Michael Finley). The Suns had a mid-level exception and more wiggle room last summer, but every move the team made with Mike D’Antoni acting as GM failed to produce results: • After being outbid for Thomas and overruled by a higher source when John Salmons chose Sacramento over Phoenix, the Suns tried to rebound by signing Marcus Banks to a five-year, $21 million deal. But by the time the Suns returned from training camp in Italy, officials were worried they had made a mistake. Banks played in only 45 games and more than four minutes once after Feb. 14. The Suns have tried to trade him, but couldn’t find a taker even when dangling a first-round pick as bait. • Looking for shooters and role players, the Suns signed Jumaine Jones and Eric Piatkowski to veteran minimum contracts, hoping one would step forward as a contributor. No dice. Jones, who averaged 10.5 points in 76 games for Charlotte the year before, arrived with a nasty ankle injury and never caught up, playing only 18 games and scoring just 40 points. Piatkowski is on a two-year deal and will return, but played in just 11 games. • Phoenix felt it had a late coup on Oct. 7, picking up free agent Jalen Rose for a prorated minimum contract. But Rose had trouble keeping pace with the Suns’ tempo. This time the Suns will have some youth on the bench in rookies Alando Tucker and D.J. Strawberry. After that? It might be a tough Hill to climb.

- June 29, 2007 - Draft Recap and Analysis: I have had all day to analyze the Suns draft of yesterday and I come to the conclusion that it was a pretty decent day. On a grade scale I would give them a B. (As long as they take this money they received from Portland and put it towards getting Grant Hill.) If they stand pat after trading away James Jones and not keeping the 24th pick I would grade it more towards a B-. The two players they did select are high quality players.

Alando Tucker of Wisconsin was the Big Ten player of the year and was projected to go higher than the 29th pick overall. I did some research on the predraft workouts and interviews and this gentleman seems to have it together. He graduated with his Degree in Communications and it shows. He is very poised in front of the camera and he seems like an intelligent young player. He is a big body off guard who averaged 19 points the last 2 seasons with Wisconsin. This is pretty impressive coming from the Big Ten. They don't tend to put up big numbers in that conference. I think he will fit this style of play perfectly and add a defensive presence that is needed. I love the fact that he is a fifth year player with lots of experience.

D.J. Strawberry of Maryland was named to the All-ACC Defensive Team and Second Team All-ACC Team. I know a little bit less about D.J. but I do know the Suns were thrilled to get him at the 59th pick. I read they were trying to move up in the second round to try and get him earlier in the draft. His defensive prowess will be a great addition to the Suns roster. I hope this kid makes the roster, we will see how he does starting out July 6th in Las Vegas. I also love the fact that D.J. is a four year college player with a lot of experience.

- June 24, 2007 - There are some rumors floating around regarding the trading of STAT for Garnet of the Timberwolves. The Suns have put that rumor to sleep letting everyone know they are not trading Amare to anyone. The only way they would trade for Garnet if it was for Marion and some others. I feel this will never happen. There are other rumors that have came up recently regarding Brandan Wright of North Carolina who would be wonderful in the Phoenix Suns system. It seems as that they might try and move up and snag him early in this draft.

I personally think this would be a great move depending on what they will have to give up to get him. There are so many things the Suns need to do in this off-season that everything we hear now is just a shot in the dark. Stay tuned for the Draft on Thursday, 6/28.

- May 31, 2007 - Report: Suns to Hire Kerr as General Manager By BOB BAUM, AP Sports Writer Posted May 31 2007 10:54PM Print E-mail RSS Feeds E-News Sign Up Share on Facebook PHOENIX, May 31 (AP) -- Steve Kerr will be hired as general manager of the Phoenix Suns, a person with knowledge of the hiring said Thursday. Kerr can't officially take the job until he completes his obligations as an analyst for TNT during the NBA playoffs. He is expected to be introduced at a news conference next week, said a person close to the situation who asked not to be identified because the official announcement had not been made. Kerr is a close friend of Suns owner Robert Sarver and owns a small piece of the team. He would replace Mike D'Antoni, who held the titles of general manager and head coach. The move will allow D'Antoni to concentrate on coaching. Kerr was part of the TNT crew at the Eastern Conference finals game in Detroit. He left the court at halftime with a cell phone in his ear. "We're still talking at this point,'' he said when asked of the report. "I can't really say anything more at this point.'' D'Antoni had held both titles after Bryan Colangelo resigned as president and general manager in February 2006 to take a similar post with the Toronto Raptors.

- May 20, 2007 - Steve Nash is very upset at how the season ended and is already for next season to start. He feels we have the team necessary to bring home a championship and wants to show everyone how good they can be.

I myself am a little more skeptical. This has been four years in a row that we have had an awesome season only to fall short of a Championship. Does something have to change to get over the hump? Do we need to make a coaching change? Player changes? Make a trade? There are a lot of things that can be done in the off season. Some have to be done... They are pushed up against the cap and nowhere to go. Not only that, they have three, count them, three first round draft picks this year. Trading one of these will probably be a good idea considering they have money issues already and probably couldn't pay all three first round picks. So will they try and dump Banks with a first round draft pick to free up cap space? Or will they try and trade one of their big dig players to free up space for all three first round pics? My guess is trying to package Banks and some other players with the first round.

Stay tuned for a very interesting 2007 draft. A lot could happen in regards to your Phoenix Suns.

- May 14, 2007 - The Suns rally in the 4th to take the Spurs on their home court and tie the series at two games a piece (104-98). Steve Nash and STAT seemed to take over the game with only two minutes remaining in the game as they played two man basketball and dominated the closing minutes to take back home court advantage.

The hard foul on Steve Nash towards the end of the game will be the big topic for the following few days. We expect Horry to be suspended and we might see some Suns players suspended as well due to the fact that they came on the court after the foul. It would really be a shame to do so since all they were doing was reacting to their teammate getting slammed to the ground. They did realize what they were doing and stopped themselves before anything drastic happened.

Stay tuned for another tense game Wednesday night as the Suns come home for game 5. Keep rollin' suns, good luck!

- April 29, 2007 - The Suns made up for the lackluster performance the other night by holding off the Lakers (113-100) in the fourth of what looks to be a five game series. Steve Nash dished the ball all around the court tonight and accumulated 23 assists in the process. STAT also had an amazing game racking up 23 rebounds and poured in 27 points. The intensity on the defense and offensive glass was a great thing to see. They had a wonderful game all around. It was good to see Diaw start to pick it up offensively, he will need to keep that up if the Suns are to win the NBA Championship. Marion was typical Marion tonight... all over the court, picking up loose balls, flying in for the tap-ins, playing great defense, he is an unbelievable athlete.

The series heads back to Phoenix for a Wednesday night match up that the Suns will definitely be up for. They want to put this thing away as soon as possible so they can get some rest and prepare for their next opponent. Lets hope the other teams beat themselves up over some long series. Things are looking good for the Suns right now with Dallas down in their series and San Antonio having trouble as well. Lets get the stadium rockin' for the game Wednesday night, Suns in 5!

- April 25, 2007 - The Phoenix Suns started out in high gear and never looked back as they take down the Lakers (126-98) to take a 2-0 series lead. Leandro Barbosa accepted the 6th man of the year award as the night began and continued to show everyone the reason he was given the award. He was unstoppable again tonight as he drove by one Laker defender after another. The entire team seemed to be on sync and full of energy as they took a decent lead in the first quarter and expanded on it into the second. I don't see any problems getting by the Lakers if Nash keeps this high powered machine running the way it did tonight. I am forecasting a sweep at this point. The win last night took any wind the Lakers might have had in their sails and released it into the desert sky. To me it looked like they had quit towards the end of the second quarter.

The Suns are traveling today and will continue their quest for a championship tomorrow night in Los Angeles where Kobe will be looking for revenge. With Kobe on the team I will always have some concern about an upcoming game but his surrounding cast cant keep up with him and his arrogant attitude. Stay tuned tomorrow night for another high flying show down as the Suns look to go up 3-0 on the Lakers.